by Leona Fox
Sometimes it was easy to forget there was a whole world outside the small town. Yet, just as she thought of that another thought struck her; was this the path Edward had taken out of East Pender? Could he be waiting for her wherever she went? Ellen snuck glances at the people in the cars passing by, each time filling with dread in case one of them was him.
For how long would this go on? For how long would she be plagued by these thoughts? Taking a deep breath, Ellen curled her fingers around the wheel and tightened her grip as she accelerated along the smooth freeway. It wasn't long until they reached the local airport, a sprawling hub of travel set about an hour outside the city. Buses and cars were all around, and they joined a snaking line of traffic as they made their way into the parking lot. Ellen helped the two of them with their bags, then the three of them made their way into the terminal.
As they walked along they passed a lot of people, some who were arriving and some who were departing. There was a mixture of emotions; sadness, happiness, and stress being the three most prevalent. Wide-eyed tourists spoke in foreign tongues, businessmen walked by swiftly, a cellphone glued to their ear, used to this kind of travel. Families took great delight in spending time with each other and couples, like Kelly and Matthew, looked to be in a world of their own. So many people's lives intersected in this place, and as they entered the main body of the airport Ellen's eyes widened.
Rarely had she seen so many people in one place. The airport was alive with shops, restaurants, and bars. The sound of rolling wheels came in from every angle as people dragged their luggage across the floor. Security scanners beeped and the steely-eyed guards stood resolutely at the security barrier. From here they were connected to the rest of the world. It was all open to them and they could go anywhere. Ellen always had been tied to the place in which she had been living at the time. Never before had she left the country. Yet, now she felt a tempting thrill to buy a ticket and get on a plane. Destination: anywhere.
“I guess this is where we say sayonara,” Kelly said, letting go of her suitcase. She turned to Ellen and hugged her tightly.
“Thank you for all your help with the wedding, and everything before and after it. I'm going to miss you,” she said in a low whisper, “and everything is going to be alright. You have my word on that.”
“You just focus on having a good time without me, and you'll be back before you know it. I look forward to hearing about all the gossip,” Ellen replied.
“Not all the gossip, I hope,” Matthew interjected.
The two women looked at him and laughed then hugged each other again, not wanting to let go. Both of them thought it was stupid since they were going to see each other again soon. Yet, now that they had to say goodbye, tears welled up in their eyes and they began to choke on their words. For two people who saw each other practically every day, the thought of spending a few weeks without that relationship was horrifying. It took all their willpower to drag themselves away. Ellen watched as Matthew escorted Kelly to the security barrier where they disappeared into the airport, and she would have to wait to find out where they were going on their honeymoon.
Ellen dried her eyes and breathed deeply to collect herself. She'd left Scampy back in East Pender because she didn't want him spending so much time in the car, but now she found herself wishing that she had brought him as she could have used the company. The noise suddenly became deafening as she grew aware of the people around her, invading her mind, and the usual calm with which she approached the world was violated. Feeling anxious, she retreated back to her car and breathed a sigh of relief when she was sitting in the vehicle. She pulled out of the parking lot and returned home, chewing her lip, hoping she would feel better when she returned to East Pender.
“I can't remember feeling that way before,” she said when describing the trip to the airport to Andy.
“Maybe I've been in East Pender for so long I simply can't handle being around a lot of people again.”
“Or you just need a little time to adjust,” he replied.
They were sitting in her lounge. He had the paper folded on his lap while Ellen held a glass of juice in her hand. Scampy was on the floor, wrestling with one of his toys.
“I tell you what, though,” she said after taking a sip of her drink, “being in that place did make me think about all the places I've yet to see. There were flights to everywhere! I guess given that I've seen so many movies and read so many books I know enough about the world, but knowing about them isn't the same as being there myself. I don't have many regrets in life but not traveling is the biggest by far.”
“I think you still have a few years left in you yet. We should take a trip together,” he suggested, getting more excited as the idea fermented in his mind. “I'm due some vacation and I think after everything that's happened we deserve some time off. We can go anywhere you like, anywhere in the world. You just name it.”
“Are you sure? I mean, you are chief of police and I have the cafe...Can we really leave?”
“Of course we can! I have my deputies and you have people who can look after the cafe.”
“What about Scampy? I don't think I'd want to take him on a long flight, he'd go crazy. And you know a lot of countries have rules about bringing animals in.”
“I'm sure Kelly won't mind looking after him for a little while.”
“And, well, the other thing...”
“What's that?”
Ellen gave him a look.
“Oh,” he said, understanding, “well, there is always going to be bad stuff happening but you can't put your life on hold just in case you’re needed. These people somehow made it before you came back here, and you can't sacrifice too much for them. I'm making an executive decision now. As soon as Kelly and Matthew come back we're going on a trip of our own. All you have to do is tell me where you'd like to go and I will sort out everything.”
Ellen loved it when he took control like this. Part of what first had attracted her to him had been his commanding authority and when he put it on display like this it made her entire body tingle. He looked at her expectantly and she tried to think where she would love to go first. Although there were many ports open to her there was only one that she really wanted to visit.
“Italy, I want to go to Italy.”
“Then Italy it is,” he said, sidling towards her and taking her into his arms, while she smiled happily.
“And why, pray tell, is Italy your first destination?”
“You're going to think this is silly.”
“Perhaps, but you should tell me anyway,” he said, his eyes gleaming with mischief. She pressed her lips together before she spoke.
“People always think that France is the country of the romantics but I always have been drawn to Italy. I read this book when I was younger, when I was at that age when I started to think of myself as a grown-up and I planned for the rest of my life. The book was set in Rome and it was about a dress that got passed down through different generations of this Italian family. The book recounted the lives of these women and how they dealt with love and all the other things that happened to them. I must have read it three or four times that year alone. Actually, hang on,” she said, and rose from the sofa.
She went to her study and rummaged around for a few minutes. Andy waited patiently for her return, but soon grew impatient and followed the sound of frustrated grunts. When he entered the study he smirked for he saw Ellen was bending down, throwing books out of an ottoman.
“I know it's here somewhere,” she said, and then shouted in triumph.
She turned, beaming a wide smile, and handed Andy a dog-eared, tattered copy of the book. The cover was creased and faded and the pages were marked where they had been overturned so many times.
“I can tell it's your favorite,” he said.
“That's not even my first copy. My original one basically disintegrated, and the second one was useless after I dropped it in the bath.”
“You read this in the bath?�
�� Andy said, walking closer toward her, pricking up an eyebrow.
“I did,” she said, her tone of voice changing to a deeper, more seductive one as she walked backward, “the book is filled with romance and longing. It used to get me quite...flustered.”
She gasped as she bumped against the desk. Andy tossed the book aside and lifted her up with his strong arms so she was sitting on the desk.
He leaned in so she could smell his addictive masculine scent, then said, “I like you flustered,” in a deep, growling voice that was everything her dreams were made of. Then he kissed her passionately and everything on the desk was swept to the floor, including her favorite book.
Ellen checked the time and groaned, then tore herself away from Andy. They had moved to the bed and he had fallen asleep. She smiled as she gazed down at his impressive, resting body, and kissed him lightly on his cheek.
She then gathered up Scampy and dragged him outside, where the afternoon sun still was shining. The little animal thought this was an unexpected treat. He jovially leaped around Ellen's feet until something in his mind clicked and he became aware of her plan. Suddenly he started growling and planted his feet on the sidewalk. Ellen huffed and put her hands on her hips.
“Don't be difficult now,” she said, and ordered him to follow her.
She didn't know how he knew she was taking him to the vet but he always had been smarter than most other animals. She ended up having to bundle him in her arms and carry him like a baby. Although he struggled at first eventually he saw this as futile and lay stationary in her arms. Although she had taken him to the vet straight after he was poisoned, she had a follow-up appointment just to make sure he was fine and everything was out of his system.
The vet was a young man named Nick Jones. He had a baby face and seemed much too young to be a vet but he excelled at his job and had a singularly good relationship with his clients and their animals.
“Come on now, Scampy, you know it'll be over more quickly if you wouldn’t be so difficult,” he said, patting his hand on the bed.
Scampy eyed him suspiciously but ended up falling out of Ellen's arms and sat on his hind legs. Nick grabbed some equipment and began examining Scampy.
“Has he shown any bad signs?” he asked.
“None at all, he seems to be back to his best,” Ellen replied.
“That's good. Like I said last time, I'm pretty sure everything has gone out of his system but it's best just to make sure. You never know with things like this.”
“Have you treated many poisoned animals?”
“More than I would have liked,” he said grimly, and paused a moment. “Unfortunately, it's all too easy for people to do.”
“I'd much rather he had poisoned me rather than Scampy. He's been through too much already. I don't want him to get hurt ever again.”
“He's a tough little champ,” Nick said, ruffling Scampy's neck, “and he can take a lot more than you'd think. Probably learned that from his owner.”
Ellen scoffed. “I don't know about that. I don't think I'm setting a very good example at the moment.”
“Unfortunately, I only can treat animals. I don't have anything to treat poisoned minds.”
“Excuse me? My mind hasn't...”
“Hasn't it? Forgive me for saying so, and I apologize if I am overstepping my boundaries here, but it does seem that what you've been through recently has had an adverse effect on you.”
“It would do the same to anyone,” she said, a defensive tone creeping into her words as she wasn't sure she liked where this conversation was going.
“Oh, certainly, but what I mean to say is the only treatment is time, and the support of those around you. You're fortunate to have a whole town full of friends, Ellen. Use them if you need them.”
Ellen thanked him but privately thought that part of the problem of living in a small town was that everyone knew your business and had no qualms about offering their two cents. She collected Scampy and paid the bill then took a short walk, trying to enjoy the afternoon air while she could.
Her mind was still being stung with paranoid thoughts as she strolled along and she tried keeping them under control as best she could. People smiled at her as she passed, but they all seemed false. Each one had a pitying look in their eyes, as though they knew exactly what she had been through. This only made her wish she could get away for a while like Kelly and Matthew.
There was a mystique that had arisen around Ellen that suggested she was better than everyone else just because she did something out of the ordinary and helped the police solve crimes. Yet in her own mind she was no different than any of them, not that they seemed to understand that.
From the way they looked at her she could tell they didn't know how scared she was, how vulnerable she felt each waking moment. She already had lost one of her pillars of support in Kelly and the crisis she was suffering inside didn't seem to be coming to a conclusion anytime soon.
When she returned home she found Andy dressed, sitting in the lounge with a grave look on his face. Instantly her heart began racing.
“How's Scampy?” he began, and at the mention of his name Scampy barked, then jumped into Andy's lap. Andy stroked and caressed the dog.
“As you can see, he's as good as he's ever been,” Ellen replied, smiling, “but I can see you're not. What's wrong?”
Andy sighed heavily. “I just got a call. I've been asked to go to a training course on the other side of the country. Apparently one of the speakers had to drop out at the last minute. Someone I used to work with is running the whole thing and he's been keeping tabs on me. He wants me to go there and lead some of the sessions.”
“Oh...what did you say?”
“I said I had to tie up a few things first. I wanted to speak to you before I did anything,” he said as he stood up. “If you don't want me to go then I won't. If you need me to stay here I will.”
Ellen blinked and thought things over for a couple of minutes. “Do you want to go?” she asked.
“I always enjoyed being at the academy and for a long time I thought about pursuing a career as a teacher but, well, after everything that has happened I didn't think that was a possibility. But this isn't a priority for me. You are. I know it's going to be tough for you without Kelly and I don't want to add to that. So just say the word and I'll turn down the offer.”
Ellen looked at him and was filled with love. All she wanted to do was ask him to stay, to tell him that she never wanted him to leave her but she knew she couldn't. It wouldn't be fair to him for her to keep him with her. She had to be stronger, had to survive by herself. She couldn't let her own doubt seep through and affect Andy's life. She put on her best false smile and kissed him lovingly.
“It sounds like you've wanted something like this for a long time and I'm not going to stand in your way. You don't have to worry about me, I'll be fine. I'm a big girl and I can take care of myself.”
From the wide smile that appeared on his face she knew she had made the right decision. Andy whooped in delight and gathered her up in his arms, peppering her with kisses.
“God I'm going to miss you, though,” he said, and together they sank into the couch.
Just after dawn, East Pender was peaceful. One man stretched his limbs and yawned, rubbing the sleep from his eyes as he opened the door to his store and walked inside. At first, in his half-asleep state, he didn't notice anything was amiss but as he turned on the lights and the electricity surged through the bulbs, he was suddenly alert.
The place had been ransacked and, although at first glance he couldn't tell exactly what had been missing, he knew that it was a lot. The first thing he did was rush to the cash register, then he beat his fist on the side for he saw that it was empty. He knew the night before he’d forgotten to put the cash in the overnight safe, as he did on most nights. For a few moments he stewed in his anger and contemplated revenge against whomever could have done this. Then he called the police.
Chapter 2<
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When Ellen awoke she had not heard anything of the burglary, and enjoyed a lazy morning in bed with Andy. The previous night he had informed the station of his departure and that he was not to be contacted unless it was a desperate, dire situation.
Much like the previous day when she had had to say goodbye to Kelly, Ellen was filled with emotions that struck her as irrational. Andy would be back soon and he was remaining in the country, so they still would be able to maintain contact. Yet there was something desperately sad about the fact that she would not have him by her side. For the longest time they had been a team and now that he was going she felt isolated and alone. If only one of them or Kelly had left she would have been able to deal with it more easily, but with one gone and the other leaving, she was at a complete loose end.
They shared an emotional goodbye. Andy hugged her so tightly it didn't seem as though he ever would let go. She wished he wouldn't, but eventually he relinquished his grip on her and went to his car.
“I'll give you a call when I get there. If you need me just say the word and I'll come back as quickly as I can,” he said.
“Don't worry about me, just go and show those officers how we do things in East Pender,” she said, and waved him off.
The car pulled away and disappeared around a corner. As soon as it did her face fell and she began to chew her lip again. Not wanting to show any sign of weakness around Andy, she had kept her true feelings secret. Although he only had been gone for a matter of seconds she already was feeling his absence.
With little else to do she made her way to the cafe, hoping that working would take her mind off things. When she arrived she heard the phone ringing and quickly scrambled to unlock the door. She managed to catch the receiver before the caller hung up.
“The Chrome Cafe, this is Ellen speaking, how may I help you?” she said in her politest tone. The person on the other end of the line breathed heavily and his voice cracked and stammered.
“Hello, Ellen. Uh, I mean Miss Thatch. This is Jimmy, that is, Sergeant Lister and I was just wondering if you'd be able to help me with something? You see, there was a burglary last night and, well, with the chief gone I've been left in charge but it's all rather overwhelming. I know you've helped him a lot. I was just hoping you could do the same for me.”